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Graendal
| status= Alive | appeared= | lastappeared= | living=tom }} Graendal (GREHN-dahl), born Kamarile Maradim Nindar, is one of the thirteen servants of the Dark One called the Forsaken. Appearance She is beautiful but somewhat fleshy with elaborately curled red-gold hair. History Nindar was a famous psychologist for nearly four hundred years, and was known to heal mental afflictions even use of the One Power could not cure. She was also a distinct ascetic, living an unadorned life. So fervent were Nindar's beliefs that she thought that all who could not live up to her standards were morally inferior. She thought that the life that most lived was simply too complicated and fast paced. While Nindar was admired by the general public for her ascetic lifestyle, those who knew her well had no love for her since, after all, they could not live up to her standards either. There is no evidence that Nindar's change of character was influenced by The Shadow, although she was the second of the Forsaken to swear her vows to the Dark One. Rather, it seemed that she realized that the world could and would never live up to her moral standards. Thus, she became the exact opposite of those beliefs, wearing the most fashionable garments, taking the most perverse sensual pleasures. She remembers her first steps towards The Shadow being full of pain. Her alter ego, Graendal, is a creature of decadence and excess. One of the most physically beautiful women to have ever walked the earth, she habitually wears revealing clothing and expensive jewelry and keeps only the most attractive men and women near her as her servants. She is very particular about her servants, often choosing former kings and reducing their minds to empty husks. Though she has never led armies for the Shadow, she is well-versed in intrigue and Shadow plotting; her knowledge of the human mind has also led to an unparalleled skill in the use of Compulsion. Release After she escaped the Bore, she hid herself in Arad Doman under the disguise of the ailing Lady Basene. She teamed up with Lanfear,Sammael and Rahvin to try and turn Rand al'Thor to the Shadow. She is present with Mesaana and Semirhage during the meeting with Demandred, who tells them all of the Dark Ones plan for them and to "let the Lord of Chaos rule." She continues her alliance with Sammael, and shows him the Sh'boan and Sh'botay she had captured from Shara hoping to fool him with a red herring. He later tricked her into revealing where Mesaana was residing and said that he had made a truce with Rand, in which case he will sit back and watch Rand destroy the rest of the Chosen. She accompanies Sammael when he meets with the Shaido Wise Ones and gives them a callbox. He refers to Graendal in front of them as Maisia, a name that seemed to infuriate her. She helps Sammael disperse the Shaido all over the continent to help spread chaos. In Arad Doman Graendal took up residence in Eastern Arad Doman, in a hilly forested area that is within sight of the Mountains of Mist. At Lord Tellean's country manor, she masqueraded as "Lady Basene." Graendal controlled or possibly killed King Alsalam Saeed Almadar, sending out confusing and misleading battle orders to Rodel Ituralde in the King's name. The orders were to do exactly the opposite of what might have ended the war with the Dragonsworn in Arad Doman and thus fulfilling the Dark One's command to "let the Lord of Chaos rule." This is more likely when Ituralde receives an order to offer the Dragonsworn the White Ribbon from Alsalam that we previously saw Graendal sending out via messenger ordered to tell Ituralde that the previous letter-bearer, Lady Tuva, had been killed by a Gray Man. After Sammael's death, Cyndane and Moghedien are sent to Graendal as messengers. They report that she is no longer a free agent and that she is now under the command of Moridin. Shaidar Haran arrives to confirm this. She participated in the Battle near Shadar Logoth. She is forced to retreat when she is attacked by Verin Mathwin, Shalon din Togara Morning Tide and Kumira. Kumira is killed during the exchange. She attends the meeting with the other Chosen in Tel'aran'rhiod, which is made to look like the Ansaline Gardens. There she is told that Rand is not to be harmed and that Matrim Cauthon and Perrin Aybara are to be killed if found. Aran'gar flirts with her and proposes an alliance with her. .]] Apparent demise As reward for working so well for the Great Lord she is summoned to Moridin's meeting with Demandred and Mesaana in the Blight. There, Graendal is allowed to hear everything. After the meeting, Moridin hints to her that there will be a place, a promotion for her, subordinate to him but above the rest of the Chosen if she causes Rand great anguish, while not harming him. She must not allow Rand to restore order in Arad Doman. With the aid of Nynaeve, Rand discovers Graendal's hideout is Natrin's Barrow. Lord Ramshalan is sent as an emissary to determine if Graendal is present. Parallels The name Graendal may be an allusion to Grendel, one of the three antagonists in the epic poem Beowulf, along with Grendel's mother and the dragon. However the Grendel from Beowulf is a male monster/fighter and bears no resemblance to the Graendal of WoT; rather it is Grendel's mother who's been repeatedly portrayed in film as a shape-shifting seductress more fitting with Graendal's description.